Yesterday I was enjoying one of my favorite films from the nineties, The Last Boy Scout.
No, I’m not here to discuss my questionable taste.
In one of the final scenes, Joe Hallembeck (aka Bruce Willis) start hugging his wife Sarah, while saying “F*ck you, Sarah!”
This is a classic example of a working application of the Mehrabian Rule, where words count only for 7% while talking about emotions, and the rest count for 93%.
Joe was repeating word by word the sentences that his wife used at the beginning of the film, while searching for a dialog with her husband.
He used some very rude sentences, BUT at the same time he was hugging her, because after the woman’s betrayal, they were getting back together.
In situations like this one, words truly represent less than 10% of the intended meaning. However, do not overgeneralize this rule!
